The mufta bihi positions of the madhhab can be found in the Hashiyat al-Dusuqi on Dardir’s al-Sharh al-Kabir on the Mukhtasar Khalil. The Mukhtasar Khalil is essentially an abridgment of Malik’s Mudawwanat al-Kubra, and it is an accurate transmission of the madhhab; after it is written, almost all serious books of furu’ in the madhhab come as commentaries on it. Other good commentaries on it are written by Hattab: Mawahib al-Jalil, Kharshi, ‘Illiysh, the former arch-traditional Grand Shaykh of al-Azhar al-Sharif, and Abdul Baqi al-Zurqani, the father of Muhammad al-Zurqani, the author of the renowned commentary on the Muwatta in four volumes and al-Mawahib al-Laduniyyah.

A good book that gives a very Mughni-like usuli tour guide through Maliki furu’ is Qarafi’s al-Dhakhirah fi Furu’-il-Malikiyyah. Qarafi is, in general a master when it comes to usuli issues.

The fatawa and Nawazil of the madhhab can be found in Wansharisi’s Mi’yar al-Mu’rib, and Mahdi Wazzani’s al-Mi’yar al-Jadid. The source books of the madhhab are the Malik’s Muwatta and his fatawa transmitted in the Mudawwanat al-Kubra. Secondary source material from Malik are found in the Mawazziyyah and ‘Utbiyyah, the latter of which has been expounded on extensively by Ibn Rushd al-Jadd in his al-Bayan wal-Tahsil, however these two sources are generally considered to be secondary to the first two.

Good primers to teach students are the matn of al-Akhdari, which teaches taharah and prayer, then al-Murshid al-Mu’in of Ibn ‘Ashir, which teaches ‘Aqidah, Taharah, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj, and Tasawwuf. These two books are in nazm form. After them, the Risalah of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani is taught. It is in nathr and includes all of the abwab of fiqh more or less. After the Risalah most students are ready to read Khalil.

Shaikh Hamzah